If you’ve seen the trailer (below), you’d know the premise.
Very simply, it’s Adam Driver versus dinosaurs.
Need more?
It’s After Earth (2013) Mk 2.
We have a spaceship crash, an adult and kid survive the crash and somehow need to survive the very hostile environment. To drive the story, they need to trek across the hazardous land to a secondary escape ship.
Really, there isn’t very much to it after that. The movie coasts on its singular premise and relies on the action of having Adam Driver versus dinosaurs. Sure, there are some other small subtle elements to give the story some stakes and emotional heft, that being the character of Koa.
I honestly don’t think I’ve seen Driver in such an action-oriented role (his Star Wars role notwithstanding) and carrying the whole movie with it. And he’s carrying much of the dialog as his co-star Ariana Greenblatt has to deliver more of a mime performance. Koa is presented as an indigenous character with a whole different language that Driver’s Mills doesn’t understand. They just have to work through it slowly as the story progresses.
Greenblatt’s performance actually made me recall that of Dafne Keen in Logan (2017). It is a remarkably solid performance, only with much less intensity and ferocity. She gives as good s she gets from Driver, standing on equal ground with the seasoned actor.
Writers and directors Scott Beck & Bryan Woods do a commendable job in both areas, keeping the story and the movie taut within its very slim 90+ minute runtime. The VFX is decent enough to give us an enhanced environment and some interesting creatures/dinosaur variations for Adam Driver to go up against.
There’s really nothing else to it.
And it is much better and far more entertaining than After Earth.
Rating: 🦖🦖🦖1/2 /5
Directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
Written by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
Stars Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman, Nika King
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